Sunday, July 24, 2011

When I first saw this online, I knew we had to go here. I was beside myself when I found it to be just a stones throw away, at the foot of Nandi Hills. I chanced upon this while looking for ancient architecture to photograph within driving distance from Bangalore. I learnt of it from this blog - A Protest of Romance.

Finding it was easy, since we are regular visitors to Nandi Hills, we also found a surprise along the way. This temple is very much in use and accordingly you need to leave your footware outside on a shoe rack. The grounds are extensive and the tall trees offer excellent shade and the lawns are very comfy should you need it for some quite contemplation. Happily there are no beggars or hawkers. Parking and entry is free.

History and Info

There is a board by the ASI that provides details at the entrance. The temple was commissioned by Queen Manikabbe (the board calls her Ratnavalli) of the Bana King - Bana Vidhyadhara sometime before AD806 ( the board says 810 AD). And who am I to question the all knowing board you ask? Well, I get my reference from here.

This is a good size temple complex, having 3 shrines, the North to Bhoganandishwara, South to Arunachaleshwara and a small one for Umamaheshwara. I googled extensively to find the story of origin of the names of these forms, but didnt come up with any concrete answers. I'm going to hazard a guess that Arunachaleshwara refers to the Loard of the Arunachal Mountain ( in Thiruvanamalai, TN ). Attached to the small shrine of Umamaheshwara is the famous Kalyanamantapa of black stone with massive pillars and incredibly intricate carvings.

The board tells us helpfully that each temple consists of a garbhagriha, sukanasi and a navaranga. Hmmm. But what does that mean exactly?

Important terms you should know

Garbhagriha - Inner sanctum - The garbhagriha of each temple is a sanctified space in the temple. It is where the deity is placed and is the religious center of the temple.

Sukanasi - the space between the garbhagrha and the navaranga, is a small thick walled chamber without windows, its open doorways leading to the garbhagriha and the navaranga. The sukanasi, identified with the antarala, is the same size as the garbhagriha.

Navaranga - The navaranga, generally referred to as the mandapa in Hindu temples, is a hall (ranga) divided into nine (nava) sections. The central section of the navaranga is generally bigger than the others and slightly raised, the latter feature being a particularly notable characteristic of the Hoysala temples. This is the place for singing and dancing in honor of gods.

The Big Fat Divine Wedding

Weddings are always a big deal. But when gods get married, they are truely spectacular. The mortals have wedding albums and videos, but if you are an important god, you get to have stuff like this made for you! I was stunned by the friezes that depict the marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati, it was unlike anything I've seen before.

Here, the tridev are depicted on their respective mounts ( I admit I was a bit foxed by Garuda's appearance, I wish they had depicted him as the eagle instead of the human form ). Shiva on Nandi, Vishnu with Garuda and Brahma on the Swan.

I'm guessing that they are being seated on arrival and are being welcomed by their host. I'm not sure who the man with the flowing hair is. Perhaps a priest?

Kanyadan (giving away the bride) performed by the parents of Parvati. I'm not sure what the animal is doing there. Looks too small to be nandi. Im not quite sure what animal it is. If you know, please leave a comment, I would dearly like to know. Notice the sacred fire in the back, just behind Parvati.

Priest seated on a platform, performing the marriage

Do also check this blog - A Turquoise Cloud for some photos of the sanctum that I couldn't photograph due to a maha yagna in progress. The details and mythology behind the wedding is also very well described and useful to appreciate the art for someone unfamiliar with hindu mythology. Just one correction from myside to the story. Kamadeva - god of love did not die, like all gods he is immortal, he lost his form and became formless, burnt by Shiva's third eye and later took form as Pradyumn son of Krishna and Rukmini. For details - see wikipedia

I was surprised to learn that weddings of mere mortals can also be conducted here (using the Vasantha Kalyanamantapa). If you want to get married here, helpful details at the end of this post.

While its a reletively unknown place, its certainly not empty; there were a few devotees, but there were no tourists other than us. The lone guide ( yes, there is always an annoying guide ) pounced on us like we were manna from heaven. He spoke only kannada to the delight of Keshav who happily left it to me to deal with him. After enduring him for 30 min, I paid him to get rid of him. If anything, these guys are a pain and should be prohibited from annoying people who have come to explore on their own. The guide told me that the black stone kalyanamantap cannot be photographed but I see photos of it all over the internet.

The god is in the details

That phrase could not be more apt for this glorious structure (and I mean that both literally and figuratively). The intricacy of the carvings here speak of great attention of detail. I wont say much more, I took a lot of pictures, here are a few. I assure you though, none do justice to this monument. For a building that is 1200yrs old, it is in terrific shape. (for the sake of comparison, the famous Angkor Wat of Cambodia is just 800yrs old)

Lakshmi & Ganesh

Shiva as Nataraj

3 Figures

Almost every conceivable surface is covered with tiny faces, each one having different expressions, every edge is covered with small armies of animals and little figures. There is very little damage to any structure, I guess its because this temple is very much in use and hence well maintained. A refreshing change in this temple I found was the varieties of style. While the familiar hoysala tiger makes his presence felt every now and then, I thought the temple as a whole did not have a rigid adherence to the style. A little research on coming home revealed why, the temple was progressively built over the years by the various rulers, the Banas, the Cholas, the Hoysalas, the Gangarasas, the Pallavas and the rulers of Vijayanagara. A rare case of multiple cooks who over time made a wonderfully inspired broth.

To compare styles, an example of Pallava architecture is Mahabalipuram built during the reign of Narasimha Varman I (Mamalla) (630-668 AD). The rider on the half tiger-horse pillars are exactly similar to the vijayanagara style and are seen all over Hampi ( the hampi blog is a work in progress ). Here though, the temple doesn't rest on the backs of elephants as it does in Somnathpura, it is supported instead on the backs and shoulders of short, plump and rather stressed looking humanoid creatures. ( I have a lot of photos and they will be added to flickr )

Celestial Dancer

Who is this? And who is on his shoulder?

Along with the peacefully seated gods and goddesses and the dancing deities, there is also ample depiction of the wrathful side of the gods. Below is seen, Vishnu in Narsimha avatar, making short work of Hiranyakashyap ( daddy of Prahlad ). The other with the 6 arms, is I guess, Shiva in one of his more fearsome forms spearing some baddie. I dont know who it is at the moment, and welcome any suggestions on who it may be.

Vishnu as Narasimha

Id Help Pls

The shrine to Uma-maheshwara is the most beautiful and the only one we didnt get a good look at. There was some restoration work in progress so part of the narrow walk way around the inner sactum was blocked by pipes. The front was occupied by devotees performing some yagna, and no photographs could be taken. It was pretty dark as well. The walls surrounding the sanctum have friezes similar to the wedding depictions in style, though I thought they were more pronounced, almost popping out of the walls.

Brahma

The flowing haired guy - who is he?

There was also a God with two heads depicted on the other side of the wall here ( Im guessing its Agni - each head representing his two sides, destructive and beneficial ). However, at another part of the temple, i saw that he is depicted with only 1 head but the presence of the Ram next to him ( this mount ) confirms that its him ). Its discovering these little things for yourself which really helps you appreciate the trouble the artists have taken to ensure the meanings are conveyed to their audience. This is not a place to hurry. Slow down, and take your time to soak it up.

Getting there

Those familiar with Nandi Hills know that we turn left to climb up towards the hill. To reach this place, go right instead. Follow the scenic road till you reach the temple ( dont worry, there are boards ). Park in front of the whitewashed outer compound. Tripods are not allowed inside the temple. You can leave it in the temple office if you happen to have brought it in with you.

Tips:

Wear dark colored socks. Carry cash to pay off the guide. Reach early, preferably before the devotees, guides and purohits and who ever else comes there.

Admiring ancient art is hungry work, and when the tummy rumbles, you need to head up the Nandi Hills and eat at the restaurant there. Or you can try the resorts at the bottom of the hills ( We haven't tried them, so if you have please let me know )

If you liked this place, you may also like Lepakshi ( a place we havent been to yet, but its definitely on our agenda ), If you've been there, please leave a link to your blog, I need to do research :)

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Long long ago, in a land not too far away, a couple vacationed, took photos and on coming home, completely forgot to blog about it. This is their story.
While freeing up the hard disk just now, I chanced upon the largely unprocessed photos of the trip and realized that I had postponed the blog writing long enough to forget!

Sometime last year, during the monsoon, K and I elected to spend a few days in 'romantic Chennai' to celebrate our anniversary. Think Chennai isn't romantic? You cannot be more wrong, read on for proof. The monsoon is an excellent time to do Chennai, so we booked ourselves a cottage at Taj Fisherman's Cove, Covelong; and being off season, we got excellent rates.

Last time we drove to Chennai we had done so in the evening, this time we left in the morning and were in our cottage by lunch time. During the monsoon, the route is particularly scenic and lush. If you're sharing the driving duties, elect to drive the first half, because the second half involves crossing Chennai traffic just before lunch.

Covelong

K taking a walk along the beach

The Fisherman's Cove property is wondrously beautiful, its gardens are lovely and the cottages are by the sea with a private beach. The gardens are well shaded with tall trees and there are plenty of birds. We however, had resolved to be "tourists" - no waking up at dawn and crouching in the shrubs looking for birds. We were here to unwind, sleep, eat ( the food is delightful ), take walks on the beach and most importantly take photos of each other preferably in front of famous monuments.

This little shed like structure is also on the beach, quite a contrast. I only wish the sky had not been grey

As Murphy would have it, in the evening, while we had tea on the porch, a woodpecker dropped by at the tree in front of our cottage (Lesser Flameback). He was soon followed by what at first seemed to be a spotted owlet, but on closer inspection revealed itself as a Shikra ( quite small, possibly juvenile ). Dinner at the sea-side restaurant is a definite must do. It is open air, right on the beach with thatched umbrellas and candle lit; manicured shrubbery prevents sand from landing in your food. As we sat at our table, we had a shy garden lizard watching us at a distance of 2 feet from his home in the bush.

Friendly Drongo

The next morning, we woke in time to see the sunrise ( force of habit ), we met the fauna of Covelong as we took a stroll on the beach. I spotted a lonely drongo on the sand watching the sunrise. I couldn't help myself, he was almost begging to be photographed. The little guy would fly up occasionally and catch a fly and then return to his place on the beach, he let me get pretty close.

Really Fast food :) and easily spooked

His catch after 5-6 throws was 3 very tiny fish

Pondicherry

We decided to visit pondicherry after a late breakfast and thought of trying out some of the famous french food we had heard about. Driving distance from Covelong to Pondicherry is around 170Km. There are 2 routes, ECR or NH45. We took 'the scenic ECR'. I'm not calling it scenic, the boards say so. It is pleasant enough, but suffice it to say that no breath taking scenery will distract you from the road. Time taken 2.5 hrs. There was no planning of the route or consulting of the GPS, we just followed the road and tried to keep towards the sea.

We reached Promenade Beach and parked. It was oppressively hot as we exited the car, I was drawn by the tall carved pillars around a large Gandhi Statue. Gandhiji himself was besieged with tourists who seemed to have climbed up the podium and were hugging his legs and getting their photos taken. So I contended myself with the pillars, thankfully no one was trying to climb up them. It was just too hot to continue, so all I got were these. There was a guy selling sea shells by the sea shore :) made a nice frame in my opinion.

We couldn't find any restaurants ( other than Le Cafe ) and google places also did not seem to throw up anything of interest, we drove on, not realizing that we were leaving the french side and going into the chaotic non-french areas. The traffic was maddening, we got fed up and got back on the highway.

Lessons Learnt 1 : In Pondi, know where to go and eat. If you know the name of the place, its easy to find it on the map.
Lessons Learnt 2 : Always carry emergency rations.

Fortunately, with me around, there is always something to eat in the car! We made a meal of some fruit, Amul Lassi, biscuits and some salted cashews.

Mahabalipuram

The next morning, we had an early breakfast and headed to Mahabalipuram (60Km from Covelong - 1hr). This was our second visit, so we were prepared. We decided to see the Five Rathas which we had missed last time. We found the parking place easily, near the souvenir shops, and were assisted by a guard into the vacant lot. You need to buy a ticket, so look for the booth, no one will ask you for it until you're too far ahead and its a long walk back from the monument in the heat.

The 5 Rathas are packed in pretty tight, and the area is quite sandy with several large boulders dotting the area. It is surrounded by a well maintained garden with tall trees that provide much needed relief from the hot southern sun. The official guide book costs 99Rs and is pretty handy and a must for the serious art appreciating tourist. In the morning, the famous elephant statue is backlit, it may be better to take shots of it in evening.

LionPillors of DharmarayaRatha

(L to R)Ardhanarishwara & Harihara

The layout makes it particularly hard to photograph and I was glad to see that the photos in the guide book weren't spectacular either. Also, like in all ASI sites, tripods are not permitted. The confined space also means a lot of tourists in a confined area, taking photos not including people is hard, so I switched to the 300mm. The areas out of human reach are surprising well maintained, so the roof carvings are still sharp and very fine, while the rest sadly, bear the brunt of the adoring tourists who cant keep their hands to themselves.

The 5 Rathas include one for Draupadi, Nakul and Sahadev share a twin ratha, making the total number five. Draupadi's ratha is the smallest and most elegant, it has a Lion standing in front of it, the mount of Durga. The Lion is there, because a statue of the goddess is present inside Draupadi's Ratha.

Draupadi Ratha

Arjuna Ratha

Draupadi and Arjuna Ratha are next to each other, notice how closely placed they are.

As in all places, the guides, hawkers and beggars will pounce on you at every opportunity and it is exceedingly annoying. Especially since one is already dealing with the oppressive heat and the rather tight space. If you are white, god help you. For some reason small children want to sell you ugly and cheap glass beads, i dont know why. It would make sense if they sold small stone work or guide books.

Souvenirs

Our first trip yielded no results in the form of souvenirs, so this time we were determined. Fortunately, the Taj had a small selection of artists who displayed their wares inside the hotel. These were beautiful stone pieces, I purchased a small anatomically perfect rhino which i instantly loved.
The souvenir shops at the Five Rathas sell silly cheap crudely made handicrafts and several plastic flowers in colors not known to nature. As you walk by, the shopkeepers harass you to enter their shops.

Only one large shop had a shopkeeper who sat silently reading the paper while we looked around. He had lovely stuff, and he knew it. We finally decided on one wooden carving of the DashaAvatar, it proved just a tad big to fit in the car ( it was 5.5 feet). He asked us to wait ( he spoke very little english ). 15 min later he returned with his wife and an unfinished smaller replica (just under 5 ft). He said we had to wait. We waited over an hour while they finished it. We paid him 9K ( no bargaining ), and both seller and buyer were delighted. It is one of our most priced possessions now.

He gave us his card: Sri Sakthi Handicrafts (No. 47 Five Rathas, Shopping Complex ) - A Manoharan - 9840361249. He has wooden carvings and metal statuettes ( I loved the hand bells and the areca nut cutters in wonderful shapes )

The side roof of the Bhima Ratha, notice the tiny faces carved on it - For larger size, see flickr

Roof of Dharmayara Ratha

Im not going into any details of the Five Rathas, the guide books do a good job of that, also since we were not there on a serious photo-taking mission, I will not be able to do justice. Another trip will probably see us do it again and we will go with the intention of being more thorough.

Tips:
In general like most places of archaeological interest, this place is best done at leisure, and with some research done ahead of time. This helps you to know what to photograph and what to look for. Also the whole Mahabalipuram complex is pretty large, walking from one region to the other is close to impossible, we suggest you have a mode of transport. Cars are allowed, and there is a separate if inadequate parking at each site.

While purchasing tickets, note carefully the text on it which tells you which sites it gives you admission for. Some tickets grant entry to multiple sites, don't lose them. The ticket booth is usually hidden away somewhere, and it wont be apparent that you need a ticket until its too late.

It is my belief that souvenirs should be representative of the place visited. It should be the best art one can afford. It may be small, but it should be of excellent quality and hand made. Crudely made cheap works that will be forgotten or thrown away once home, only encourage mediocrity.

Yesterday, we visited Hogenakkal Falls, photos and blog soon. What did you do this weekend?

Sunday, July 10, 2011

On Friday night, we decided as an experiment, to wake up at dawn, randomly pick a destination and spend the weekend there. At sunrise the next day, we were heading towards Jog Falls. An excellent way to welcome in the monsoon.

Getting there

Having decided on taking only NH roads along the way, our route was as below. Roads were ok, in some parts recently laid. But there was no divider and it was 2 lane all the way, Avg speeds of 80Kmph. Our Course as usual was charted by MapMyIndia and Google Maps ( on both, the Motorola Milestone and the HTC Desire HD ). Invaluable tools! Aside - I'm looking to buy holders for the phone in the car. If you can suggest a brand, pls drop me a comment.

The monsoon fuels my appetite, and on long drives with gorgeous scenery and intermittent drizzles, I like to have something to munch with my sugary sweet highway tea. But, food on the highways in Karnataka presents a bit of a problem. The number of eating joints are few and far between and often pretty run down.

Breakfast - Coffee day and the Kamats

We usually prefer Kamat( though food quality has deteriorated ). It opens at 7am. ( I know this because we once startled them by showing up bright and early at 6am ).

Lunch -
1. Shimoga - The smart option
2. Sagar - for the over confident who failed to stop at Shimoga.

As you might have guessed, we belonged to the second category. Our gargantuan breakfast meant that we whizzed past Shimoga without the slightest of hunger pangs.

When it comes to eating in Shimoga, you are spoiled for choice. Among others, notable are The Royal Orchid which has recently opened in the city centre and offers a star option. There is also the reliable and reasonably priced Mathura Lodge for the vegetarians. Both places are also good options for stay.

But as we foolishly drove on and were approaching Sagar, there were audible rumbles and it wasn't the engine. A quick search of Google Places Directory yielded no known restaurants nearby. Then we spotted Chaya. Going by the crowd of vehicles, it seemed to be the only place to eat. We parked and followed the crowd. The restaurant and lodge is well placed and has a lake view.

Sadly, I cannot say much for the restaurant or indeed for the manners of its patrons. It was essentially a Mess (and I mean that in all possible ways). Everyone seemed to order the set meals, so we did too. Hygiene was a bit dodgy - I tried hard to ignore the slight crust of a previous meal on the edge of my plate. They employ children to clear the dishes, which I disapprove of. Food was basic and actually quite nice - taste wise, but the unclean surroundings, terrible noise of clanking plates and shouting people made it an awful experience @ 125Rs for 3 meals. Do NOT have the paan at the paan shop below. We had to spit it out in under 1 min.

You can also try Sri Pavitra Lodge - which we saw 20 minutes ahead, it looked cleaner, bigger and better; and that's the last eating option at Sagar. If you do eat there, please share your experience with me.

The Falls

Enroute, you will pass a stunning bridge over a gorge which is a must stop place for the photo ops. We passed it 4 times, and each time, it was pouring rain. A Rs.20 admission fee is collected at the gate to Jog. The parking lots are well organized. The instant photo dudes pounced on us as soon as we stepped out of the car, but beat a hasty retreat once the tripod and equipment came out the boot. At Jog, the mist was wonderful, the incessant rain refreshing but slightly annoying.

The highlight for me was the presence of 3 Scarlet Minivets ( 2 males, 1 female ). No photos sadly, they were just too far away for my 300mm. The males put up a splendid show, the tiny scarlet birds stood out starkly against the misty green and white backdrop of the falls, it left a deep impression on me. I almost wanted to move into the the little lonely house on the hill!

Where to stay

Once at Jog, you will notice the huge boards of Mayura (KSTDC hotels). We thought we'd risk a stay against our better judgement. After all, the hotel had a stunning view of the falls, being bang opposite to it.

After some driving around in circles, thanks to the absence of a board in English, we found the main entrance to the hotel. It looked like something out of India's Most Haunted. The lobby was devoid of all furniture, the windows were all broken and a stray dog was manning the reception. Shortly, a man arrived and asked if we had a reservation, and on hearing that we hadn't, he said they had no vacancies.

Google to the rescue! Matthuga Homestayis the ONLY place to stay at Jog (8km from the Falls). I found their website online and even recalled seeing a board while we were driving to Jog from Sagar. It has only 5 bedrooms, so call ahead and reserve your room. Its a popular place among those in the IT industry, going by the companies listed in their guest list. Being the very first homestay of my experience, I was keen to try it out.

Matthuga Homestay

The approach road will test your vehicle's suspension and the under chassis rubber coating and the rust proofing will finally be worth it. It is clean ( i cant stress this enough actually ) and homely. The staff of 2 speak both Kannada and Hindi. The bathrooms are clean, ventilated and have 24hr hot water ( we have verified at various times). It also has toilet paper. Also provided was a small cupboard with clothes hangers. Beds were comfortable, pillows were not lumpy, sheets were clean and fresh smelling. 2 plug points + 1 in the bath.

Soap and Bath towels were not provided - this was the only negative point. And the windows didn't have a mesh to keep out the insects, so we had to keep them closed.

The Food: sorry to disappoint you, it was hot, hygienic and probably very healthy too. But it was not tasty by any standards, no one was having seconds. It seemed to be made in a bit of a hurry, perhaps they were overwhelmed by the number of guests. Food is kannadiga style vegetarian (chappatis at dinner are pre-made and kept in a hotcase). The breakfast the next morning was delayed and really not up to mark. The tea was good, curds were too. I liked the peanut chutney served with the pale and limp excuse for a dosa. Upma devotee - keshav, was visibly upset at how his favorite breakfast was made.

The homestay has backup generators for electricity. There is no room service for food. Evening tea is delivered to the room. It is self service, served and communally eaten in the dinning room. Other than the food, I was happy with everything else. Having to leave your shoes outside is an annoyance.

Our Return Route:

On the way back, we did something silly, we thought of going via Chitradurga to reduce travel time, since NH4 from chitradurga is excellent, and we really like that road.
From Bhadravati we took NH13 to Chitradurga. NEVER EVER should you do this with the intention of reducing travel time. The route was very scenic indeed, and we had ample time to enjoy it, considering our top speed of 20kmph.

We had lunch at a road side dhaba - Jai Hind Dhaba on NH4, 10 km from Chitradurga towards Tumkur, food was pretty good and filling. There were a lot of sparrows that kept me entertained while we waited for the food. Tea was awesome.

The Impromptu Plan Survival Guide

For an OCD control freak like self, these impromptu trips can be very unsettling. To avoid panic attacks, I remember to pack the following essentials.
We cannot all be Bear Grylls. Some of us need material comforts.

1. Large Fluffy BathTowel - if you've read The Hitchhiker's Guide, you'll know that your towel is an important survival aid out there in the galaxy. Its mighty handy on earth too.
2. Tube of Face wash - soap is messy to carry, face wash can be used as a body-wash.
3. Plastic Bags - to wrap damp towels, clothes, cameras, lenses.
4. Moisturizer and Deodorant
5. Hair care products - Do not scoff at this. I find the modern male is picky on the matter of hair care and will often have as many if not more products than the modern female. Carry only essentials.
6. Breath freshener ( I carry saunf in chewing gum containers - chewing gum is difficult to dispose of )
7. Medication ( for indigestion, avomin, crocin, something for headaches )
8. Traveling toothbrush and small tube of paste
9. Charging cables for mobile phones.
10. Tissue paper
11. Torch and safety pins - never know when you need it ( i also carry a small folding scissor )

If you wear contacts - small case + travel pack of solution, extra pair of lens. Spectacles with Case.

You can also carry some hand sanitizer - I haven't been able to find the right size bottle.

Carry some biscuits and water, they will sustain you while you search for suitable restaurants.

Philosophy

A few weeks ago, while indulging in some deep thinking, K and I concluded that we make very poor use of our time. The thinking went some what as follows: assuming an active working span of say 60yrs (retirement age), it means that we all start off with 60x52=3120 weekends in our accounts. Now minus the weekends that we have already lost due to age. In our case, we are down to 1664. Assume that only every alternate weekend is available for use in the pursuit of "Things you've always wanted to do/ Places you've always wanted to see". ( This is where having multiple hobbies can present a bit of a problem )

That brings us down to 832 (the other weekend is spent in necessary evils like laundry, grocery shopping, work, processing photos of the previous weekend :-) and other commitments ). Suddenly, the humble weekend seems more precious. If your number seems large to you, you may want to get some hobbies.

The gist of the matter ofcourse is to make every day/weekend count, use it well - take up those classes you've always wanted to take, meet the people you've been always meaning to meet, see the nearby places that you've always wanted to see.
Don't waste this weekend lazying about in front of the Tv, there are places to see and people to meet, get going!